WWF - Forest Conversion Publications

New Generations Plantations Project - Synthesis Report 2007 - 2009

2009-10-18

Forest Conversion News No. 23 - July 2009

2009-07-06

Forest Conversion News No. 22 - March 2009

2009-03-31

FEATURE: Production of sustainable palm oil swells
INTERVIEW: Liantiong Gan, Musim Mas
NEWS: Illegal logging and human and tiger deaths
EVENTS
PUBLICATIONS
MEDIA REVIEW

New guide for financial institutions: The Palm Oil Financing Handbook

2008-12-20

How can banks and investors reduce their risks in the palm oil sector?
How can financial institutions encourage sustainable palm oil production?
These two questions are the starting point for The Palm Oil Financing Handbook, which aims to help financial institutions create or strengthen their own responsible palm oil finance and investment policies. The handbook offers step-by-step advice on everything from defining the scope of such a policy, to developing appropriate screening criteria and helping client or investee companies comply with the policy. Read more

Download The Palm Oil Financing Handbook here!

Forest Conversion News No. 21 - December 2008

2008-12-19

This issue of the FCN contains news about deforestation pledges by the governments of Indonesia and Paraguay, an interview with Fiona Wheatley of Sainsbury's on the challenges of purchasing certified sustainable palm oil, and updates on the RSPO and RTRS processes.

Palm oil, soy and tropical forests: a strategy for life.

2008-10-09

Between 2000 and 2006, the area harvested for soy and palm oilglobally increased by almost 22 million hectares—an area twice thesize of Cuba. Today this expansion continues unabated, and in manyplaces is occurring at the expense of natural rainforests and thepeople who depend on them to survive.

Why is this happening? A massive demand for soy and palm oil, whichare used in a wide range of everyday products including animal feed,margarine, ice cream, cosmetics, detergents and biofuels, is drivingthese trends. Today, agricultural expansion is actually a much moreserious threat to forests than timber trade.

There are solutions to deal with the environmental problems caused bythese crops. Companies, investors, governments and consumers shouldencourage soy and oil palm cultivation that protects the environmentand people's livelihoods.

Download new WWF brochure to learn more.

Forest Conversion News No. 20 - October 2008

2008-10-08

This issue of the FCN contains news about the first plantations to be certified by the RSPO, an interview with Simon Lord of New Britain Palm Oil on the challenges of certification, and an update on
the RTRS process.

Forest Conversion News No. 19 - June 2008

2008-06-13

This issue highlights Unilever’s commitment to sourcing 100 percent sustainable palm oil by 2015 as well as an update on the 3rd global meeting of the Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) and an interview with its Executive Secretary.

Forest Conversion News No. 18 - March 2008

2008-03-19

This issue highlights a new WWF Report which shows deforestation in Sumatra driving climate change and species loss and previews the upcoming 3rd Roundtable Conference on Responsible Soy.

Forest Conversion News No. 17 - December 2007

2007-12-17

This issue includes highlights from the fifth annual meeting (RT5) of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) where 540 people from 28 countries participated, an interview with Rikke Nettestrom, the Head of Ethical Policy at The Body Shop, on the challenges and successes of the RSPO process, an update on the Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) and much more.

Forest Conversion News No. 16 - September 2007

2007-09-07

In this issue, news about palm oil producers in Honduras and WWF cooperating to protect the biggest reef in the Americas, interview on the development of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS)'s principles and criteria for responsible soy production, information on the upcoming 5th meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and more.

Forest Conversion News No 15 - June 2007

2007-06-07

New WWF tool helps paper industry rate environmental risk

2007-05-21

Vienna, Austria – WWF today launches a new tool to help paper producers score the environmental quality of their products.

Suitable for all paper grades — from high-quality business paper to packaging paper — the WWF Paper Scorecard is a simple all-in-one tool that covers the main environmental impacts of paper production, including forest management and efficient use of fibres, CO₂emissions from use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and pollution from chlorinated compounds and waste.

The scorecard, unveiled at the international paper industry event Prima 2007, enables responsible paper producers to show how they can minimize negative environmental impacts of the paper products they sell, while at the same time helping paper buyers to select the most environmentally-friendly papers. For paper producers and users willing to improve, the scorecard can be used to further measure environmental performance over time.

“The new scorecard is a self-evaluation tool for the industry and also a test of their transparency," says Margareta Renstrom of WWF.

"Although the ultimate goal is for producers to score well across all parameters, it is not only about coming out on top. It is also about producers being transparent and informing buyers how their paper products are impacting the environment.”

The rating of a given product can be easily communicated to current and potential buyers. To further encourage transparency in the industry and to reward producers who score their paper products, WWF will create a platform on its global website to present the results, but only after these have undergone an independent third-party audit. By doing this, WWF will also be providing a global platform for responsible paper buyers and producers to network and "meet".

"We believe that the WWF Paper Scorecard captures important environmental parameters in a balanced way, even though it does not cover all environmental aspects of pulp and paper processing," says Björn Lyngfelt, Vice President of Communications at SCA Forest Products, after using the tool. "The scorecard can become a useful benchmark for environmental impacts of paper grades.”

"The WWF Paper Scorecard is user-friendly and does not take a lot of time to fill out," adds Per Kjærgaard, Energy and Environmental Manager of the paper manufacturer Dalum Papir A/S, after testing one of their papers with the scorecard. “We believe it provides a good overview for paper buyers on the environmental performance of a paper product.”

The scorecard is the first of several tools WWF is producing in collaboration with a “think tank” of major paper buyers, aimed at creating globally-relevant guidance on paper sourcing. While the scorecard is geared towards paper producers, WWF will later this year publish a practical purchasing guide, helping paper buyers to source responsibly produced paper products. The guide will use the WWF Paper Scorecard to help buyers assess the environmental impact of their paper use.

In the meantime, WWF recommends paper buyers ask their suppliers to score their paper products using the scorecard and share the results.

END NOTES:
• The need for buyers to identify responsible paper fibre sources and for globally relevant guidance on the impacts of pulp and paper processing emerged from a "think tank" in which the major paper buyers Canon, IKEA, Unilever, McDonalds and Lafarge provided advice to WWF. WWF, with years of experience on responsible purchasing strategies of paper and wood products through its Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), has developed the Paper Scorecard as a response to this need.

For further information:
Margareta Renstrom, Forest Certification and Trade Manager
WWF International
Tel: +46707551660
E-mail: margareta.renstrom@wwf.se

Guidelines for Better Management Practices on Avoidance, Mitigation and Management of Human-Orangutan Conflict in and around Oil Palm Plantations

2007-05-11

In 2006, Indonesia and Malaysia accounted for 83% and 89% of global exports of palm oil respectively, with export trends expected to double by the year 2020. This has led to the expansion of oil palm. While oil palm production is a major source of income for Indonesia, and some oil palm plantations are well managed, others have imposed social and environmental costs.

It is recognized that there are environmental pressures on oil palm expansion to areas having high conservation values, including orangutan habitat, causing a significant decline in orangutan populations, particularly as palm oil can only be cultivated in tropical countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

It has been demonstrated that oil palm plantations can only support 0 to 20% of the mammals, reptiles and birds that the land supported prior to conversion. Where natural ecosystems have been converted to other land uses, conflicts arise between humans and wildlife, resulting in wildlife being killed, and poached for trade. This includes orangutans, the only great ape found in Asia. Today, orangutans are threatened by extinction in the wild.

Orangutans and many other species are being captured, and often end up injured, starving, or dead. Unplanned forest conversion is exacerbating this situation, completely disregarding the importance of biodiversity as genetic resource for human welfare.

A key issue that needs to be addressed is preventing the increase of conflicts between orangutans and humans. To this end, several conservation organizations and academic institutions have formed a communication forum to develop orangutan rescue guidelines for use by oil palm companies.

These technical guidelines were compiled as guiding principles for Better Management Practices (BMP) of human-orangutan conflict management, including the protection of HCVF (High Conservation Value Forests) areas within oil palm plantations. This document aims to help industrial stakeholders identify the right steps to adopt BMP, which is of clear benefit for both conservation and industrial activities.

Forest Conversion News No 14 - March 2007

2007-03-15

Seminar on responsible soy production in Berlin

2007-03-07

Presentations given at the seminar which was organized by WWF and GTZ in Berlin on 28 February 2007

On 28 February, some 60 participants attended a seminar addressing responsible soy production. The seminar was organized by WWF and GTZ (German agency for technical cooperation).

The negative social and environmental impacts of increasing conventional soy production in Latin America are severe. One way of addressing problems is through the RTRS (Roundtable on Responsible Soy), an international roundtable dialogue group with stakeholders throughout the supply chain committed to developing globally applicable criteria for more responsible soy production, procurement, and use.

The development process is expected to begin soon and continue for about two years. Some progressive companies such as Campina and Imcopa have already moved ahead with producing and sourcing soy according to the Basel Criteria, the pioneer standards first adopted by the Swiss retailer Coop in 2004. The first “Basel soy” arrived in Europe from Brazil in June 2006.

The Berlin seminar looked at whether already existing production models address social and environmental concerns, and at experience already gained. Is it possible to stay in business with a sustainability agenda? What do consumers want? What about the GMO issue? Speakers included Eckhard Engert from the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Martin Tielen, president of the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC), and Frans Claasen, general manager of the Dutch Product Board for Margarine, Fats and Oils.

For further information:
Martina Fleckenstein, Head of EU-Policy and Rural Development
WWF Germany
E-mail: fleckenstein@wwf.de

Brasil: Expansão da Soja, Conflitos Sócio-Ecológicos e Segurança Alimentar

2007-03-06

Tese de Mestrado em Agronomia Tropical, Ulrike Bickel, Universidade de Bonn, Alemanha, 31.01.2004

Master thesis on the socio-ecological impacts of soybean cultivation in Brazil, by Ulrike Bickel, University of Bonn, Germany, 31.01.2004

Resumo: O presente estudo pretende analisar o potencial de expansão da fronteira agrícola de soja no Centro-Oeste, Norte e Nordeste brasileiro (Capítulo 1) e estabelecer um vínculo com os problemas sócio-ambientais relacionados (Cap. 2), antes de delinear conclusões sugerindo alternativas sustentáveis de produção e reformas necessárias nas políticas nacionais e internacionais (Cap. 3 e 4).

Brazil: Soybean expansion, social and environmental conflicts, and food security
Summary: The present study seeks to analyse the potential regions for soybean expansion in the Brazilian north and north-west (chapter 1), and establish a link with the related social and environmental problems (chapter 2), before deriving recommendations for sustainable production alternatives, and the corresponding necessary reforms in national and international politics (chapters 3 and 4).

Position Paper, Fastwood Plantations

2007-02-10

There are currently 200 million hectares of plantation forests in the world. The term plantation includes a wide range of commercially planted forests, and trees planted for community use as well as non-production purposes. A small proportion of plantations, often referred to as Fastwood Plantations, and variously estimated at 15-40Mn ha worldwide, are intensively managed and will contribute disproportionately to future industrial wood supply.

It is estimated that in Asia, Africa and Latin America, up to 40% of industrial wood supply will come from such sources by the year 2010. However, these Fastwood Plantations are controversial: much of their expansion has come from the conversion of natural forests and other areas of high conservation values such as grasslands and wetlands. Their establishment has in many cases also resulted in significant social consequences due to a disregard for the rights and interests of local communities.

WWF recognizes that well-managed and appropriately located fastwood plantations can play an important role in healthy, diverse and multi-functional forest landscapes, and can thus provide conditions that are compatible both with biodiversity conservation and human needs. In addition the fastwood plantation industry can contribute to economic growth and generate employment. However, without significant changes in policies and practices, in many regions the expansion of fastwood plantations will continue to cause controversy by threatening forest dependant peoples and high conservation value areas.

WWF therefore calls upon the forest products industry, regulators, financiers and other stakeholders to work collectively to develop and promote the adoption of environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable practices in fastwood plantation forestry. These should be communicated through publicly available policies with regular reporting to stakeholders on performance.

High Conservation Value Forests: The concept in theory and practice

2007-02-05

This brochure will interest anyone seeking solutions for forest use that look at not only the economic value of forests but also the critical social and ecosystem values and services which forests provide to people and nature.

Readers will be able to learn about the concept of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) and how it has been applied throughout the world. They will also be able to see how the concept has been used in many different settings and by a wide range of stakeholder groups, including:

government policy-makers involved in conservation, forestry and landscape planning;
forest managers and owners interested in responsible forest management and certification;
investors and donors concerned with reducing the social and environmental risks of their support to forest sector projects; and
organizations working in conservation and sustainable development.

The brochure also includes a brief discussion of how the HCVF concept and its uses may develop in the future.

In the last five years, the HCVF concept has been picked up by many groups around the world and used in many different applications. This rapid expansion has been accompanied by exciting innovations but has also brought challenges in maintaining consistency in how the concept has been used and clarity in how it has been understood. It has also made it difficult to keep track of all the innovation and experimentation going on.

The aim of this brochure is therefore to clarify the concept, show its strengths and limitations, illustrate how it has been applied throughout the world, and look forward to how the concept may evolve in the future.

Forest Conversion News No 13 - December 2006

2006-12-06